1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and device for the analysis of analytes in saliva. More particularly, the invention relates to the development and use of a sensor array system capable of discriminating multiple analytes in saliva.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Interest in saliva as a diagnostic medium has increased exponentially in the last 10 years. In the United States, the need for further research in salivary diagnostics has been emphasized by federal action plans originating from the Office of the Surgeon General (Health and Human Services (HHS), 2000) and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, (NIDCR, 1999). It is becoming increasingly important to have the ability to measure relevant markers in saliva in order to first, identify the presence of disease and, second, to monitor the progress of the affected individual undergoing treatment. Even though saliva offers advantages in diagnosis by being easily accessible through non-invasive collection, it presents the challenge of having relevant markers of disease at much lower concentrations than blood. In addition, the viscous nature of the saliva matrix introduces a physical barrier to the development of saliva-specific assays, especially for those utilizing automated fluid delivery systems. Such problems may only be resolved with a significant dilution of the saliva sample, which consequently requires the diagnostic test to be very sensitive to be effective for saliva samples.
Screening for cardiovascular disease is one area in which measurements of saliva markers may be useful. Current screening and management strategies for risk assessment for the development of heart disease target blood-based factors as predictors of cardiovascular risk. Some of these important factors may indeed be present in saliva but, unfortunately, most of the methods currently used for their measurement are rather inefficient. These tests require long assays, sophisticated instrumentation, and significant amounts of expensive reagents. Furthermore, these methods are limited to measuring just one factor at a time and, in most cases, they are not sensitive enough to detect those relevant markers present in saliva at such low concentrations.